Day 32- Month 4, day 4
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Name: Phoenix
Journey Tier
Attributes: 0 points
Strength: 7, Constitution: 14, Coordination: 13, Mentality: 23, Will: 17.3, Charisma: 18, Luck: 13
Boons Available: 1
Magic: FIRE GLYPH.
Spells: Conjure Fire, Draw Fire, Fire of Mentality, Sun Lance, The Lying Fire
Skills: Ritual (Worship Arachnae) 30%->33%, Meditate 53%->54%
Arcane Skills: Magical Artistry 34%->35%, Magical Shape 37%->38%
Magic Pool: 28.1
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He woke to the sounds of a chorus singing somewhere in the temple. Curiosity warred with common sense, and common sense won out, so he spent some time crafting his Illusory Fire disguise once again, making his morning ablations in the attached bathroom (which thankfully had stalls for the showers!) and dressing up in his leather outfit that Tiana has given him. Then he went in search of the singers, who had continued their rendition the entire time he had been preparing. He used his preparation time to craft a bit of a feminine appearance, including a very modest set of boobs hidden under his shirt. So far, no one had commented on his appearance or voice, but he had caught Panna giving him odd looks during his brief interaction with her so he wanted a little something to help guide the initial impression away from ‘oh no, a boy!’.
He hunted through the temple rooms until he came across what was obviously the main hall. Hundreds of people knelt in neat rows, filling the room, all facing a large altar at the interior wall. Above that altar was tapestry of a tree, its roots wrapped around a large chunk of earth or rock. Several branches bloomed, and the flowers had various animals and people inside them, as if they were being born from within. Beside the altar, about a dozen women in silver Acolyte robes raised their voices in song, while a Priestess (he presumed) in golden robes directed them. The audience was quiet, lost in prayer or meditation, listening to the songs.
Figuring this was a moment for individuals who worshiped Lia, he carefully and quietly backed out of the room, but not before noticing a bowl on top of Lia’s altar, filled to the brim with that golden light and being refilled as quickly as it drained into the altar itself. He returned to the entry hall where Panna had been on duty, and waited around for someone else to show up, hoping to ask them about the promised breakfast.
Eventually the services finished, and the large crowd exited the building, laughing, talking, and in general making a commotion as they went. Phoenix was only guessing, but he figured three quarters of the town or more had been in that room for the service, an impressive gathering. Eventually, another acolyte came over to the desk and directed him to the breakfast service, clear on the opposite side of the church from where he was waiting- past the great hall and into the section where the Acolytes and Priestess lived. He apparently would be eating what they ate, which he thought odd (how did they know how much to make every morning?) until he got there.
Arriving in the dining hall, he found yet another Acolyte there, who happily put a bowl on a tray for him, and then with a silent prayer (or spell, he couldn’t tell), filled it with three large stuffed rolls of bread.
Phoenix looked on in disbelief and no small amount of envy. “Can you create this every day?” He asked.
“Of course! Have you not had it before? It is quite tasty, although even the Priestess goes out every week or so to get some variety.” the Acolyte replied.
“Yes, this is my first time, I guess you could say I have heard stories. Thank you, uh, Sister.” He took his bowl and sat at an empty table. No utensils provided, just grab a roll with both hands and dig in seemed to be the preferred method. While he was eating, Celeste made an entrance, eliciting calls from the other Acolytes eating to have her join them. Instead she took her bowl and sat across from Phoenix.
“Morning, Fena.” She greeted him, companionably.
“Good morning, Lady Celeste. You seem popular, are you sure I am not taking you away from more companionable company?” Phoenix replied.
Celeste just laughed and waved at the Acolytes, who all giggled and immediately fell to talking among themselves in whispers. It felt very high school to Phoenix, a memory rising up out of nowhere which did not come with many happy emotions. How odd, was I very ostracized or bullied as a kid?
“Nah, they would just sit around being embarrassed and tongue tied if I sat down with them. They will have way more fun speculating on who you are.” Celeste was holding one of the giant stuffed buns in a single hand, tearing bites off of it vigorously. Phoenix didn’t know what standards of politeness or table manners to ascribe to this place, but Celeste definitely gave off a… casual aura. “So hey, figured I’d introduce you to Magus Yvonne this morning, before I went off on patrol. Want to check out where you had your little fight with those orcs.”
Checking up on my story? Or just being cautious about nearby enemies? Why not both I suppose.
“So you will be gone for a while then.” Phoenix stated, frowning slightly.
“Yeah, four or five days I figure, to get there and back. We will get you settled first. Things should move along without my direct attention just fine. You can stay in the temple, I talked to Priestess Reelwen. She is busy with her duties of course, but don’t be surprised if she sits you down for a little one on one discussion at some point.”
“That is fair.” Phoenix replied, and they sat in silence while they finished their breakfast. Three of the stuffed buns was way too much food for him to eat all at once, but Celeste downed them and his leftovers without apparent effort.
“These stuffed buns last long, once they're made?” Phoenix asked, a vague idea of stocking up on foodstuffs just in case in his head.
“Nah, goes up in smoke after about thirty minutes if no one eats it. Would be real handy wouldn’t it! The Lich-Queen feeds all her people with stuffed buns, outlaws farming and such completely. Uses it as a means of control, naturally. Course, most of her population is dead.” Celeste looked like she had bitten something sour. “Not a pleasant topic for such a pretty morning. Here, Magus Yvonne practically lives in the tower, I’ll take you up.”
Their destination turned out to be opposite of the main assembly hall where Phoenix had watched the worship services earlier. Unlike the rest of the temple, this was clearly designed with defense in mind. A pie piece all the way from the tower in the center to the outer wall, the two diverging interior walls were of much thicker stone than the rest of the temple walls. Inside the room, two low walls manned by guards with crossbows flanked a path to a large set of heavy metal doors at the base of the tower. This place looked like it was designed as a last line of defense from invaders, which made Phoenix wonder just how often such things were tested. Then he remembered the ruined city he had appeared in and decided that was a silly thought, they had ample evidence to justify this level of security.
Celeste produced a blue crystal panel, almost identical to the one Phoenix had stored in his backpack, and presented it to one of the guards for inspection. After a few moments, the guard handed it back and then did something to the door that Phoenix couldn’t really see, which caused them to slide into the walls of the tower just enough to permit one person to walk through at a time.
The inside of the tower was hollow, with a single set of winding stairs around the outside, and various disks representing floors with cuts in them at different levels. The cuts were there to make room for the stairs and what looked like an elevator in the center of the tower, complete with a bronze cage over the disk shaped floor that was attached to the center pillar of the tower. Everything was a mixture of stone blocks, mortared together by what Phoenix could only describe as bronze covered in blue Glyphs. This tower felt more expensive than the rest of the defensive works he had seen combined, as that curtain wall was just normal stone and mortar from what he had seen previously.
Celeste led him into the elevator, and manipulated a handle on the side, which closed the door and started them coasting up in complete silence. No counterweights, no engines that he could see, just quietly rising up floor by floor until they reached the penultimate level. There, Celeste stopped them, and the elevator hovered there, anchored as if it was never going to move again- no sway or bounce or give in the platform at all. Phoenix was impressed, it felt safer even than the modern elevators back home.
“Magus Yvonne, I have brought you a guest!” Celeste called out as they exited onto the floor.
The level they were at was a laboratory slash library of some kind, and reminded him strongly of the room where he had found Sabiya. Crystal glassware that would look completely normal in a chemistry lab was scattered among books made of that metal that the Tome of Arachnae was made out of. Things bubbled, and cooked, and slid around, and produced rather alarming shocks of lightning, and Phoenix couldn’t help but smile at the theatrics of it all. There was even a bronze mechanical snake, curled around a lit burner of some kind, with stunningly lifelike workmanship. Magus Yvonne was standing in it all, head down over a dish of some goop, poking it with a glass stick.
Magus Yvonne did not fit the image he had built in his head. She was short, roughly a head shorter than he was, and dressed in the familiar long tunic that seemed to be the fashion around these parts. She wore what appeared to be a set of very wide pants or divided skirts on her legs cut high to display sandals that wrapped up her ankles and calves almost to her knees. Her hair was a lustrous black, without a trace of silver or gray in it, and came down in gentle waves to her shoulders. Across her back and along her arms was a bronze metal framework, ending at her waist in a wide belt and at her hands in a set of tools and finger-like implements. Her face was unlined, her eyes brown and rather large, a darker version of Celeste, her lips thin and pale, her nose small. Her features could be described as delicate, quite a contrast to the rough looks of most of the women he had seen outside the clergy.
“Lady Celeste, a breath of civilization in this backwater hole to which I have been consigned. A guest? To what do I owe the honor?” Magus Yvonne's tone was silky smooth but dripping with condescension, and Phoenix’s guard immediately went up.
“Don’t be like that Magus, we all have to serve where we are called. It looks good on your report back home! This is Fena, a wanderer who wandered out of the wilderness yesterday. A fellow sorcerer and worshiper of Arachnae. You should see how she cleaned up the shrine!” Celeste was cheerful, walking up to stand next to Yvonne and waving in Phoenix's direction.
Yvonne looked at Phoenix for a moment, her eyes narrowed and skeptical. “A fellow worshiper. Welcome, I apologize for my demeanor, I had rather a different opinion of my career path than my superiors. So, when did you attend the academy? You appear awfully young, although I suppose appearances can be deceiving.”
Phoenix picked up the hint, but decided he wasn’t going to respond, not directly anyway. “I haven’t had the opportunity to attend any academy I am afraid to say. Self-taught, although Witch Einar Tiana did her best to guide me along on a few points.”
Yvonne gave Phoenix a smirk, then turned to Celeste. “So, a self taught scrambler with two, maybe three Glyphs and an attitude towards authority. Why are you bringing her to me again?”
Oh this is going to go well, I can tell. Phoenix sighed internally. And her calling out someone about their attitude is rich!
“Well, I was hoping you might have a few tasks that a sorcerer would be able to do, in exchange for a stipend. She isn’t physically oriented, so I can’t just send her out to the farms or anything.” Celeste ventured, looking at Yvonne with pleading eyes.
“Well. There are always some tedious chores that distract me from proper research. So, out with it, girl, what spells do you have? Conjure Flame, at least?” Yvonne asked peremptorily.
Carefully schooling his features into a bland pleasant mask, and refusing to rise to her attitude in kind, Phoenix kept his voice equally light. “Conjure Fire, yes. I had to focus on survival to get here so my spells are oriented towards combat. But I am a quick learner, if there is a particular task you have in mind?”
“Conjure Fire. Well, Tiana wasn’t totally inept in your education.” turning to Celeste, Yvonne continued. “The sewer lights need to be tended to. As you might imagine, I have been putting it off, but it is the perfect task for a wanderer who wandered in I think.”
Celeste made a disgusted face, then looked over to Phoenix hopefully. “I’ll pay you Journey Tier wages, and if you really are combat oriented you shouldn’t have any trouble with the parasites down there. I’ll assign one of the guards as an escort so you don’t get lost.”
“I did ask for work of course, happy to assist where needed. I don’t suppose there is someplace I could get some rags and tea?” Phoenix decided to hide behind professionalism.
Celeste looked a little confused by the request “Yeah, I’ll take you shopping, sure. Thank you Magus, always a pleasure.”
“You are always welcome here, Lady Celeste.” Yvonne replied, and then turned back to her research.
Celeste led Phoenix back out of the tower, and to the market. He picked up a bandanna like cloth to wrap around his nose and mouth, and the most fragrant mint tea he could find. After a few seconds thought, he asked for a second pair, which Celeste was all too happy to purchase. She then led Phoenix to a two story building in the northwest quadrant of the circular set of buildings around the temple. This turned out to be a civic building, focused on the variety of maintenance tasks needed in a town this size, the sewers included. A familiar guard was slouched in a chair next to the office desk, looking very disconsolate, but she leapt to attention as soon as Celeste entered the room.
“Lady Celeste! I was just, that is… do you need something?” Soldier Hella scrambled to make herself presentable.
“Soldier Hella, what happy circumstance led you to this posting I wonder?” Celeste’s voice was dripping with amusement.
Hella relaxed slightly at the familiar tone, but still stayed standing. “Lost a bet, ma’am. Thought you would blast our visitor into motes, but the gals saw you eating breakfast with her this morning, so I had to take shit detail from Tandy.” Hella looked at Phoenix with some confusion and curiosity.
“Well, your luck certainly hasn’t improved. This is Fena, I know, looks better doesn’t she?” Celeste said.
“I wouldn’t care to comment ma’am.” Hella paused, then looked at Celeste in horror. “What about my luck?”
Celeste put a companionable hand on Hella’s shoulder. “Lights in the sewers are going out. Fena here is gonna put them right. Guess who gets to walk her around and keep any of the ickies from latching on to her?”
Hella didn’t quite groan, but she did close her eyes tight for a few seconds. “Happy to serve in any capacity ordered, Lady.”
“Of course you are! Well, here you go, just do a circuit of the mains and keep her from getting swarmed. She claims she can fight some, so between the two of you it should be a piece of cake.” Celeste took out a handful of bronze scales and handed them to Phoenix. “Here you go, Fena. Should cover you till I get back, and you can always go and see if Magus Yvonne has any more fun tasks for you. Good luck, you two!”
Celeste left with a friendly wave, and Phoenix turned to Hella, an apologetic look on his face. “Is it really going to be bad?” he asked.
Hella slumped her shoulders, holding herself upright via her spear. “Oh Goddess, the smell is something else. You can taste it for days. My luck really is shit.”
“Well, maybe I can help a little with that. Here.” Phoenix handed Hella one of the bandannas and a packet of the mint tea. “Wrap this around your face and breathe through it. The tea will help with the stink a little.”
Hella brightened up and did as instructed, then motioned to Phoenix to follow her. Phoenix noted that she was dressed in much the same outfit as she was yesterday, a scale hauberk and lobster tail helm, leather skirt and greaves over her legs, and her arms bare. A crossbow strapped over her shoulder on her back, a short sword at her waist. She left the spear in the office she had been sitting in. “Not enough room to use it properly anyway.” she commented when Phoenix asked why.
The basement of the building opened directly into the sewers, and Phoenix had them pause a minute.
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Draw Breath, Death Ward, Spirit Ward, Ward versus The Lie, Conjure Fire.
—
While Phoenix was busy buffing up, Hella spent a little time as well, setting a spell on her helmet that lit it up like a torch, and layering some kind of protective field over her armor.
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“It isn’t really that dangerous, but you don’t want the things in here latching on. All kinds of horrible diseases, and some of the critters can even infect your blood, so best if they stay safely away from any flesh bits. Temple will fix you up of course, if they have the resources to spare, but best to avoid it all in the first place.” Hella cautioned.
Hella wasn’t wrong about the stench, but the bandanna and tea helped considerably. The first light was just outside the door that they went through from the building basement. Phoenix was very curious about its construction, a crystal mounted in a bronze cage set against the wall. He set the Conjure Fire spell into the crystal, and it lit up nice and bright, apparently designed to sustain the spell without using his resources at all. Handy, if he could duplicate it at some point.
The sewers themselves were classic. Built of the now familiar white stone, heavily stained naturally, directly under the roads themselves. Arched to support the earth above them, a footpath on one side of a deep canal. Slow moving sludge made its way along towards the west, and not the river as he had expected.
“Yeah I don’t really know how they do it, but there is some magic that cleans it up before it goes to the river. I mean, only just shy of a thousand living here in town right now, but the capital is a thousand times that. River would be a black mess if they just dumped all that into it without doing something to it.” Hella seemed quite eager to chat while they worked, although she did stay alert to any movement at the edge of their lights.
“How often does someone have to come down here to do this?” Phoenix asked as they moved around the circuit of the plaza above, to the first road heading north.
“Oh, it's not a matter of having to, if you catch my drift. Part of the regulations, see, but Magus Yvonne thinks it’s beneath her, so she only does it if the Priestess asks. Probably been out since shortly after she was assigned, my guess. The lights will last a week though, which will be a big help to the gals who gotta clean this place out on occasion.”
Well, I suppose it could be worse, spend a day out of the week marching the sewers to earn five bronze scales. Phoenix was ruminating on his future prospects when Hella stopped in front of him.
“Problem?” He asked.
“Shh, something…” Hella said, peering at the edge of their light. Phoenix joined her, raising an arm in preparation for some jump scare. There at the edge of the light, was what looked like a cross between a crab and a lamprey- eight legs surrounding a circular mouth lined with inward pointing teeth. A hard shell above and below the mouth protected the main body, and it scuttled back away from the light with eerie quickness.
Hella drew her sword, and Phoenix took that as permission to engage, lighting off a Sun Lance into the darkness.
—
Magic Pool: 17 (28.1) [respiration halted, draw breath 7 per activation]
—
The bolt of light, flame, and heat tore through the creature, blasting it into scattered legs and a messy black stain. It also tore through the two critters behind it, to equal devastation, and lit up the tunnel beyond which showed the floor practically covered by them, a dozen or more.
“Back up as fast as you can! I’ll be right behind you!” Hella said, setting her shield low and backing up while still facing the mass.
Phoenix backed up, using Draw Breath and considering the atmosphere of the sewer. Methane gas was explosive, but was it in great enough concentration down here to be a danger? He couldn’t tell. The creatures were scuttling at the edge of the light, one or two darting in a few feet before retreating back again.
“They get bold in big groups like this; they are getting ready to rush us. You have any more of that light show?” Hella asked.
“Yeah, I can go all day, don’t worry. Let me see if I can make this easier on us.” Phoenix responded.
First he Conjured Air, and a whistling wind of fresh air came surging in from the grates and drains nearby, pushing the smoke and smell away. Then, just as the mass of six or seven creatures charged fully into the light, he used Conjure Fire to place a wall of flame between Hella and the charge.
—
Magic Pool: 2 (28.1) [respiration halted, draw breath 7 per activation]
—
Two of the creatures were leaping at Hella but were cooked in an instant as they crossed through the flames, slamming harmlessly against her raised shield. The others shuffled just out of the worst of the heat from the wall of flames, screaming and hissing.
Phoenix looked on as he started cycling Draw Breath to recharge, and Hella relaxed slightly, still warily watching as their attackers skittered back and forth. Now that he had them all bunched up like this, he summoned an Illusory Earth wall just past them, along the canal, and all the way to the ceiling. Then he just pushed the flame wall forward, cramming them up against his barrier until they all caught flame in a screaming, hissing pile, popping and crackling as their shells cracked. Once he was sure they were dead, he let everything wink out of existence.
Hella stood and gave him a once over, head to toe. “You have a few combat spells huh?” she said.
“Yeah, pretty rough road on the way to this town, so I had to learn a few tricks. Why?” Phoenix replied.
“Nothing meant by it, really. Just you look like one of those girls who works down at the parlor, you know, for relief so to speak, so I really wasn’t expecting much beyond some squeals and fainting.” Hella said. Then, quietly but not so quiet that Phoenix couldn’t hear, muttered “Maybe get a kiss out of the deal, oh brave Hella thank you for saving me, such and such, just my luck.”
“Anyway, you need to turn back? We can respirate back at the Civic building.” Hella said, back in her normal tone of voice.
Phoenix just shook her head. “No, I am good to go all day.” Then, with maybe a little bit of the imp of the perverse in his head. “And all night, I assure you.” And he smiled.
Hella looked a little shocked, then turned and marched on, muttering once again. “Damn flirty mouth on this 'cup, what am I supposed to do…”
The rest of the work went without further event. Hella maintained a professional attitude, but was definitely giving Phoenix a lot of evaluating glances and smiles. It took till evening for them to get through all of the main passage ways, which is to say the ring road plaza and the four major roads out of it. Once they were done and back at the Civics building, Hella showed him to a room that did some kind of decontamination, which was very handy as it also removed any smell that might be clinging to his clothing. Phoenix was eager to examine it later, to see if he could work out how it did that and turn it into a spell.
“Hey, I’m off duty in fifteen, just gotta go back and report to the Lieutenant. Me and some of the girls like to go to this place, good food and booze, real cheap. If you are interested, maybe drop by for a drink?” Hella was all smiles, but Phoenix could tell she was a little nervous behind the pose.
“Sure sounds like fun, where is it?” he replied.
“Oh, hey that’s awesome, yeah. Place called Salties, down on Dock-way, anyone can point it out. It’s not a classy place like Celeste might take you to, but it's friendly and fun. Don’t have to get dressed up nice or anything, come as you are.” Hella smiled and waved. “See you there!”
Phoenix decided to go shopping with his newfound wealth. So far he had a few outfits, but honestly he needed something to wear that didn’t involve the use of his Illusory Fire to fit in with. Plus a stash of food that wouldn’t rot that he could cycle through would be helpful as well. The stores all stayed open later than he would expect in his own world, two hours or so after the farmers and laborers and lumberjacks called it quits. Made sense to him, gave everyone an opportunity to spend their coin without taking off of work. He found a place that catered to the merchants and other wealthier clientele. It took half his coins, but a nicer set of clothes definitely made him feel better about wandering around town without the protection of an illusion.
The food was a harder find, it seemed that they shipped most of it down river to the capital or any intervening cities, and only kept a strategic reserve in the temple in case of siege. There were few adventurers or outriders or scouts who needed well preserved food for long periods, and those that did exist apparently had the ability to magically preserve their food somehow. Another potential thing to learn about. Maybe tomorrow he could humbly query Yvonne, although he strongly suspected she wouldn’t give him the time of day.
He dressed up in his new clothes, admiring himself in the mirror in the bathroom of the temple. A simple layered ensemble- tunic on top, light linen shirt underneath (for added warmth) which could be traded for a sleeveless version on warmer days. Loose linen pants, and those knee high leather boots he had been admiring. The boots were the most expensive item on the list, outside the silk underwear that the shopkeeper had tried to sell him. He had settled instead for a linen bra and panties, although he really wasn’t sure what the heck he was going to do with them. Wearing them felt odd, but he supposed in the end that it helped with verisimilitude. The shopkeeper had been helpful enough to point out a nearby facility that did on demand washing for folks too busy (or rich) to do their own, so Phoenix put down a little more of his limited funds to get the cowl, silk jumper, and leather clothes cleaned. They all bore the stains of long travel and could definitely use a professional touch.
Showered and newly clothed, Phoenix felt brave enough to go to this bar that Hella had invited him to. As he went south along Dock-road (naturally, the road that headed to the river and the docks from the temple), he enjoyed the late spring early summer air. He was looking forward to a little relaxed company, something not quite so fraught as all the other interactions he had been subjected to since his arrival. He felt, fundamentally, like a tightly wound spring, anxiously listening for a wolf’s howl in the distance, keeping an eye on the sky for suspiciously circling birds. He needed to relax, if only for a little while.
The bar, Salties, was situated inside the walls, with its own mini dock system. The dock served as an outdoor seating area when the weather was nice, with tables surrounded by glowing stone torches to light up the water at night, and a woven fence taller than Phoenix surrounding the place for privacy. When he entered, he was struck by the noise of conversation and the live band on stage, playing a number of instruments that sounded familiar but looked very strange to his eyes. Sideways drums, long thin guitar like stringed instruments, even a harp, each played by someone who was clearly using some kind of magic to project the sound over the whole establishment.
The other thing he noticed was the entire band and all the servers were dressed up like men. Five o’clock shadows artfully painted on their faces, sarashi style wraps around their chests, open broad shouldered jackets over them. Tight leather pants split up the calves, and high heels done up in black leather and stiff laces. Some of the servers would sling their coats over one shoulder and pose, showing off quite impressive biceps or shoulders, and they all seemed to spend as much time laughing with and talking to the customers as they did carrying food too and fro.
Phoenix struggled to contain his laughter. I suppose they have these kinds of places everywhere then.
The crowd seemed a mixture of dock hands, laborers, and small handfuls of off duty guards. Not too rowdy, at least not yet, the night was young and the beer was flowing so he suspected things got a bit more exciting as the evening wore on. Phoenix spotted Hella with a cadre of similarly dressed women at one of the tables, and started making his way over.
“This buttercup, this ‘cup, let me tell you, unhhh.” Hella seemed to be regaling the table with a tale. “Tall! But thin, you know, got that look about her. Has the boyish voice down pat, sends a shiver down my spine every time she speaks.”
“This wonder 'cup gonna show up you think?” One of the other women at the table interrupted Hella.
“Oh I don’t know, I asked and she said something polite about showing, but she got dropped off by Lady Celeste! Telling you! Out. Of. My. League. I went down into the sewers, I’ll have to tell you all about the trick with the tea that she showed me, really helps with the smell. But yeah, I’m escorting her down in the sewers, and we come across a whole hatch of those latch-spiders, must be fifteen of them or more.” Hella was getting warmed up, so Phoenix chose to hang back, just out of her visual range, curious how this story was going to unfold.
“Uh huh, big ones, were they Hella?” the women all laughed.
“Well sure, normal sized, but lots of them. Lady Celeste had said something about this lady having some combat spells, but I didn’t credit it, ya know? These sorcerer types, it's all one big boom and then off to take a nap for ten hours right? So I figure, I am in for a bit of getting gnawed on while she did not a whole lot, but whatever you know, all in a day's work for the guard.” Hella said, humbly, but everyone raised a mug of beer. “The guard!” and drank.
Finishing her beer off, Hella continued. “Right, so I draw my blade and am about to tell her to stand back, let me handle it, and she lights off with this beam, right? Blasts three or four of the things. Duly impressive, figure that is it for her contribution but not bad right? Nah, she just getting started. Woosh!” Hella gestures wide with both hands, mimicking the flame wall.
“Flame wall! Just as the things are charging into our light, so a couple more cooked! But now what, you are asking?” Hella looks at each of them. By this time, one of the ones nearest Phoenix was giving her a considering glance, then started grinning ear to ear.
“Yeah, you are stuck ain’t cha! Can’t cross that!” The clued in guard prompts.
“Right! Exactly! I am trying not to groan, cause obviously she is trying to help, but then! She just… pushes the wall forward, like it ain’t nothing! And she must have done something behind them too, cause they all bunched up like they was against the wall, and she just… squished them into the fire! Popping like popcorn!” Hella laughs, and the guards all join in, a few more getting clued in to Phoenix’s presence by the first.
“Ok, so wonder 'cup has it going on, what then?” The first guard is still egging Hella on.
“Then, then, I’m sure she is out, right? This has got to have drained her dry. So, like a proud daughter of the guard.” echoed calls of “The guard!” and everyone drinks again, Hella stealing someone's brew to drink to the toast. “Like a proud daughter, I offer to escort her back, so we can, you know, respirate together.” Hella gives an exaggerated wink and the guards are laughing uproariously now.
“So you know what she says?” Hella pauses dramatically.
“What!” They all shout.
“She says ‘I can go all day!’” Hella breathes out, lowering her tone to try and match Phoenix’s.
Phoenix had been waiting for this opening, and stepped up beside Hella. “And all night, I assure you.” loud enough for the whole table to hear.
The guards at the table lost it, howling and slapping the table with their hands, while Hella turned a bright shade of crimson. Phoenix puts a hand on her shoulder, smiling to try and take some of the sting out of the prank. “Good evening Hella, I enjoyed the story! Good evening all, I am Fena.” and he waved to the crowd.
A chorus of “Good evenings” and “Welcomes” greeted him in return, and Hella spent a few moments regaining her composure. “Introduce me to your friends Hella?” Phoenix prompts.
“I don’t know about friends…” Hella says, glaring at the guards, who make faces at her and crude gestures. “Well, fine. In order around the table here, we have Tandy, Heidi, Reina, Cal, Sandy, and Watts.” Tandy reaches over to shake Phoenix’s hand, and the others wave.
“The mighty fourth squad, less our estimable sergeant Isabel, who is stuck writing reports.” Hella adds.
“Pleasure. What are we drinking tonight?” Phoenix looked around for a free server, and one stalked over on hir heels, to stop a little too close to him and look up into his eyes.
“Strap me into a harness and set me climbing, I’ll top your tree, no doubt.” the server said after a second, giving a lazy grin. “I like them tall sometimes, but you're flat as a board front and back ain’t ya?”
It was Phoenix’s turn to blush a little, and he decided he wasn’t quite up to matching hir energy “Ah, right, could I get a beer for Hella and myself please?”
“Promptly!” Zie said, then turned to the others, getting their orders in turn, before stalking over to the bar.
Phoenix was ushered over to the table and squeezed in between Tandy and Hella. Cal and Watts were taking turns telling another story, so Phoenix joined in making the appropriate noises at the expected times. He was often a bit confused by the way the guards all talked, when they took liberties with grammar and used shorthand or slang liberally. Still, despite being jarring occasionally, it was friendly and inclusive and he was welcomed into the group.
The server came back with the drinks and introduced hirself as Michael, and took a seat on the table to chat for a while, taking off hir jacket and leaning back on hir arms to flex to the great appreciation of the whole crew. Phoenix was duly impressed by the six pack abs hir sported, something he definitely lacked himself and an achievement that must take constant effort to maintain while drinking beer every shift with rowdy customers.
Phoenix was very careful to nurse his beer this time, not getting suckered into draining a mug every toast like last time. He ordered dinner too, but even so, the beer here was quite strong, and he was definitely feeling it by the end of the first mug, warm and a little dizzy and definitely more relaxed. The guards would all drink every time the guard was mentioned, although they all slowed down as the evening wore on.
—
Chemical Sensitivity Reaction I
—
Everyone was wrapping it up, quiet conversation about needing to be on duty early. Michael came by and started clearing the table, and Phoenix tipped hir the copper chits he had as change left over. “Thanks kid, come by anytime and I’ll take care of you.” Zie ruffled his hair and waved at the table. As the guards stood and the party broke up, Hella offered to walk Phoenix back to the temple, but Michael interceded.
“I got her, Hella, I’m headed straight there and you live off Orchard-way right?” Michael said.
“Ah, it’s no problem, but thank you Michael. See you around Fena.” Hella waved and stumbled off with Tandy, who was trying to get her to trade shifts again.
Phoenix raised an eyebrow at Michael, a little confused at the sudden interest.
“Hah, nice look, come on, better that the one person who isn’t drunk walks you home. Hella is a good gal, but when everyone is a little tipsy it's better to avoid any appearance of impropriety right?” Michael explained.
“And walking with you does that?” Phoenix said, a little incredulous.
“You bet!” Zie took his arm and started them back towards the temple.
Michael navigated the street quite adroitly in hir high heels, and managed to keep Phoenix heading in a straight line as well, an impressive feat. Once they reached his barracks room, Michael sat down on the bed closest to him and assumed a serious expression.
“So Fena, care to explain why a guy like you is in a town like this?”
“I uh, don’t know what you are talking about…” Phoenix attempted, but his words were slurred by the beer and even he didn’t really believe him.
“Relax. Credible job with whatever magic you are using, props there, but your posture, your voice, even how you walk. All a giveaway, if someone knows to look for it.” Michael said.
“Look, I just want to avoid any trouble, honestly. Not trying to deceive… well ok yes I am, but I am doing it for good reasons.” Phoenix replied.
Michael waved hir hands at him. “Relax, I said. Your secret is safe with me. Celeste gave you the once over, so you aren’t a fae in disguise. So that makes you a very lost boy in the ass end of nowhere, and I admit that seems downright odd.”
“Ah, it’s… complicated.” Phoenix started, and Michael just looked on expectantly. Sighing, Phoenix gave an abridged version of how he got here. Michael let him talk all the way to the end without interruption.
“Well, and here I thought you were a lost Elf boy who didn’t make it to the Free Elves. Using magic to hide the ears and so on. But instead, I have something more fascinating than that on my hands.” Michael was musing aloud.
“So if you are going to keep my secret, why are you so invested in this anyway? I don’t think I could work in high heels.” Phoenix said.
Michael laughed. “Hey, I think you could do well with a little practice! Girls would be falling all over themselves for you! Certainly caught poor Hella’s eye, that broad has zero luck I swear.”
“She likes me like that huh.” Phoenix sighed.
“You think? Don’t worry about it. Hella is good folk, she won’t take liberties. But seriously, you need practice. I can help you pretend a bit better, if you are willing to listen and learn.” Michael said.
“I am always willing to learn. So you are not going to talk to Celeste or the Priestess?” Phoenix asked.
“To what end? A secret is kept best by one person. All Celeste or Priestess Sandra would do is panic and try to lock you up somewhere. For your own safety of course.” Michael sounded very wry.
“And I suppose you don’t have any ulterior motives?” Phoenix said, watching Michael carefully.
“Of course I do. Just think of me as an older sibling ready to give you some important growing up tips.” Michael smiled, but hir eyes were definitely sharp and attentive. They made Phoenix think of a doberman pinscher, alert and on point.
“Well, I am going to sleep this beer off, but I am at loose ends tomorrow, so happy to meet anytime.” Phoenix offered.
“Perfect. I get to sleep in so I’ll see you just after noon here, and we can do some lessons.” Michael got up and waved. “Sleep well.”
Phoenix set up his Illusory Earth barrier around the bed, and then after a moment's thought, set a weak but long duration Spirit Ward up as well, before falling into his deep trance.